A key concern for law firms in this study, and also for other firms in similar countries, is why women do not stay in the firms and law. The interview discussion often turned to why more women leave than men. There were a few clear themes that emerged from a variety of opinions:
They hate it … On the whole – because it’s an environment that’s foreign to most womens’ souls to be – that sounds awful. They love it when they’re young, it’s exciting, it’s sexy, it’s lots of money and power and stuff and all the rest of it, and then they actually look upwards and see that most Partners are men, that some of them work, or most of them work quite damaging hours. You still see young women treated as sex objects by senior men, especially in the big firms, even though they’re not supposed to, and they have all sorts of policies that militate against it (#17).
Some specific aspects of the job were per- ceived as being harder for women:
The worst thing is having to go out and win new work. It’s hard work. Trying to persuade a client to come and use your services. But somehow you have to find a way to tell these people that you’re the best person for the job. That’s always a challenge (#15).
After entry into law, the expectations are often not borne out in reality: I think the
hours and the pressure and the fact that it actually isn’t easy…High expectations and they (men and women) think having got their law degree, they can now be a lawyer. And that’s far from the truth (#3). For as
others commented, law is quite different from the expectations that they may have held in Law School. In addition, the nature of the work may not suit the early aspirants:
I think there’s another type of people who leave because they discover they want to be in the business and doing business, rather than advising businesses (#9).
A few interviewees also referred to gen- erational differences: You’ve got the gen-
erational bit kicking in for the guys, I think – coupled with just wanting to do different things. Not wanting it to be your sole life. So the big firms are least suited in some ways to it just being a job (#3).
But actually what I’m seeing with Genera- tion Y – very different from Generation X – is that they no longer want Partnership. My senior associates in my team are quite happy to stay senior associates … and have time with their families. So it’s as if women see – the new generation see how hard it is and they don’t want that. But at least they’ve got the choice (#20).
Fifteen years ago when one interviewee was being recruited as a graduate, one of her questions was always:
Why are there so few women in your Partnership? And the answers were very different around the firms… and it is sort of sad to see that those numbers haven’t changed in 15 years, so I think I naively
thought at the time, by the time I got to Partner level it would have changed, but it hasn’t really at all (#27).
The major reason given for the ‘glass ceil- ing’: by which I think everyone means, what
is it that stops women even though they’re a majority of law graduates (#8). placed the
responsibility back onto women’s choices:
I think the really obvious thing is the childcare …The issue is that it’s actually hard to find women who are prepared to give their career a priority, law is just so demanding in the big law firms (#35).
The previous interviewee went on to say: I
think – seeing it as discrimination – is under- mining of women, because it assumes we all want to work ourselves stupid and compro- mise our lives, when in fact I think many women are more sensible than that (#8).
However, often the decision was made by women through discussion with their peers, while the policy and information in the firm is not being well communicated:
Because most women when they get to 30-ish are looking at having kids. And they don’t even necessarily have the con- versation looking ahead – so I think they just make up their own minds and they talk amongst themselves with people they know outside the firm, and get the impression that it will be easier if they move out of the firm (#8).
The dilemma of ‘if’ and ‘when’ to have children, was another key issue for women. One interviewee without children had clear advice: what women should really be doing
is having their children early and getting it out the way (#6).
The following comments came from women who had done the opposite, established their career and then had children:
I think that’s a major issue for some women. I think it’s really hard. It’s physi- cally incredibly demanding. And you get really torn, I think, if you are at that point
where you’re trying to decide between your child and your career, that’s a really difficult decision (#7).
It is very difficult to be the primary car- egiver and work in this environment. You need a very strong support network at home … nanny as well as a husband when a Partner. It is a 24/7 responsibility in terms of business growth and the net- working and everything (#12).
Some argued that it was all about individual choice:
…It’s not all about the law firms aren’t making that viable for women anymore, that it’s too hard, there is so much choice now. You know I don’t like the phrase that Sheryl Sandberg uses, but people don’t want to ‘lean in’, they don’t want to work that hard (#14).
It is the responsibility of women to craft a life for themselves that encompasses their ambitions to be successful lawyers. I think women have to front up to what kind of relationship they have created to make opportunities for them to have chil- dren, Partnership and a great marriage partnership at home (#4).
But inevitably it has significant implications for the capability left within the firms:
Definitely there’s a large percentage of them [women] who have left law alto- gether. .. There’s a large percentage who have chosen to be at home with children and to not have a career. And I find that a bit sad, because they’re really bright, talented women (#4).
In addition, the fact that early career choices do not always work out is linked to the perception of law as one of the most demanding professions: Because it’s just too
hard – the juggling act is too hard. The de- mands are too great. And the cost in terms of effect on family is just too high (#23).
… based on my own experience and re- flections, I’d say it is simply not for every-
one… We want to do the best work for the best people. We’re accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If it’s hard and difficult, you’ll pay a premium (#30).